Railway journal bearing



Feb. 5, 1929.

K. F, NYSTROM RAILWAY JOURNAL BEARING Filed 001.."2. 1922 Wren/0r Karl Aj af/wm Patented Feb. =5, 1929.

srras PATENT FFHQE.

' Application .flled October a, race. Serial in. serene.

This invention relates-to improvements in anti-friction bearings of the roller orball type, and more particularly bearings of this class especially-designed for r'ailwayservice,

@ and the principalobject of the invention is to provide a ball or roller bearing adapted for use with journals and journal boxes of standard outside dimensions, whereby the bearing maybe applied to existing trucks and the like.

A further object is to provide a hearing I which may be readily assembled upon ajournal and within a journal box.

Another object is to provide adjustable end thrust means which will permit the taking up of wear and'the limiting of end play,

and also means for taking up wear or slack nesfi in tapered roller bearings if suchar'e use Still another object is to rovide bearings so constructed that the ad usment for 'end play is automatically .locked'by .the assembling of the bearing in the journal box to the end that the adjustment cannot be destroyed 5 accidentally, maliciously or through ignor-.

ance.

A further object is to provide a dust-proof bearing.

' Various other objects and advantages will as be ascertained from the following description.

The'device consists briefly of a bearing proper comprising I inner and. outer raceways between which anti friction balls or rollers aremounted, the said bearings being applicable to a railway car journal of standard dimensions by a special formation of the journal end which permits the outer end flange to be removed f6r application of the as bearing and replaced to hold the bearing on the journal.- The bearing is mounted in a.- specially formed casing provided at the inmovement.

the embodiment illustrated, is a seriesof.

In the drawings which illustrate one em- I bodiment of the 1nvention:'

Fig. 1 is a half end elevation and half vertical section. on the line 11, Figure 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2-2, Figure ,1. b

Fig. 3 is a half plan view and half horizontal section on the line 3-3," Figure 1. 1 Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a journal formed on a standard railway axle and having at its inner end the usual shoulder 12 and at its outer end the usual flan e 13. For the urposes of this invention the end of the a e isshouldered at 14a short distance from the flange 13, thus providing a reduced portion 15 which is 'threadedfor the reception of a collar 16 which carries the flange 13, the collar being refer'ably shorter thanthe portion 15, so t at when the collar is screwed on flush with'the end of the axle a. space will be left for the reception of a member hereafter described. Any suitable form of locking means (not shown) may be provided to releasably lock the collar against rotative The bearing proper comprises inner and outer race-ways 17 and 18 respectively which are of any-suitable form according to the anti-friction means employed and which, in

rolls designated 19 disposed between and having engagement with the race rings. The rolls '19 may, if desired, be mounted in gocage, designated as a whole by'the numeral to The bearing is positioned on the journal bv means of inner and outer spacin'grings 21 and 22 respectively and a washer 2'3 surrounding the reduced axle portion 15 .and held in place by the collar 16. The innerspacing ring 21' is suitably formed to bear against the shoulder 12 of the axle, while theouter spacing ring 22 is held in compression between the inner race. 17 and the washer 23. vThe. inner spacing ring 21 may be provided with a radially projecting flange 24 and'the washer 23 preferably projects radially beyond the spacing ring 22, both asshown in Figure 2 and 'for the purpose of confining the bearing cage 20 and limiting movement thereof longitudinally of the axle. It will be noted that the recess between the axle shoulder 14 and the inner end of the collar is-greater than the thickness of the washer, as clearly shown in Figure 2, so that the pressure imposed bytightly screwing on the collar 16 will effectually clamp theinner race ring to the axle and hold the same.-

against rotation independently of the axle. In thlsmanner wear of the axle is eliminated. Theinner race ring and spacing rings are of course snug fits upon the journal so as to maintain absolutely concentric relations therewith and avoid wear of the ends of these rings which would follow any looseness, also the rolling-out action which would occur.

The bearing is contained in a casing 25 in' which the outer race ring is a snug fit. The inner end of the casing is provided with an internal flange 26 which approaches the axle inside the shoulder 12. A short distance outside the flange 26 the casingiisprovided with a second internal flange 27 lying outside the shoulder 12 and approaching the ournal. The inner end of the outer race ring 18 1s spaced from the flange 27 by any suitable meanspresentinga shoulder 28 for .12 and in spaced relation from the inner abutmentby the inner end of the race ring. Whlle th1s spacing means has been shown integral with the casing, it will be underbers 29 and 30 may be separate as shown in:

stood that this is not-essential. The outer race ring ls also positioned by a spacing-ring 29 at its outer endeng'aging an. anti-friction washer 30 which interdigitates with the ournal flange 13 and washer 23. The mem- Fi%1 re2 or ma beformed integral as shown 1n lgure 3. internally threaded to receive a threaded. end closure orcap '31 which carries an inserted anti-friction washer 32 adapted to engage the outer end surface ofv the flange 13. The thread may be extended inwardly to permit of screwing in the collar 30 but the collar may be a slip fit.. The .cap 31 is provided with an outwardly pro'ecting,'

centrally disposed portion 33 of. po ygonal formation, for example hex onal as shown. It will be readily seen that t e anti-friction washer 30 is held against inward movement by the race ring 18 and spacin ring 29 so that when the ournal end co ar 16 is in place the bearing "and its casing are held against withdrawal over the end of the axle.

way end play may.

.In other words, end play of the axle in one directionin the bearing is thus limited. The screwlngin of the ca 31 and the thiclmess of the washer 32 etermine the inward movement of the bearing and easing on the axle and determine theend 'pla of the axle in a direction opposite to the 'rst. this be entirely elimmated or the amount thereof accurately determined 31 and new wa ers may be inserted by ree outer end of the casing is.

I served that the,journal'boxaccording to this the screwing in or out of the end cap 31'.

. amount sions shown in Figure 2 by a super-pos1- moving'theend cap and journal collar 16. In the space between the casing flanges 26 and 27 a dust collar 34 of felt or other suitable material may be secured by means of an expansiblesplit ring 35 which sinks into the'dust collar intermediate the edges thereof bending the same to the U-shaped cross section illustrated and bringing one edge of the collar into engagement with the .axle inside the shoulder 12 and the other edge into, engagement with the shoulder itself. This latter or outer edge of the dust collar is in compression between the shoulder 12 andqthe casing flange 27 and is held against the shoulder by the flange.

'Pinching or cutting off of the dust collar by the shoulder and flange is prevented by proper adjustment of the end cap and by roper thickness of anti-friction washers which limit. the endplay of the axle in the bearing. This form of dust collar is very eflicient. The inner edge bears against the, axle and prevents the entrance of the greater portion of grit, while the outer edge of the washer bearing tightly against the shoulder theaxle and any.

eccentric movement which would reduce the efliciency of thedust collaris thus efi'ectu ally revented. In addition to the foregoing: ment of the dust collar w1th the ournal shoulder 12 constitutes a seal effective toretain oil or grease in the casing.

The casing is substantially cylindrical in The casing is housed in a journal box 37,- the essential external dimensions of which are: in accordance with accepted standards so as to be interchangeable with ordinary journal boxes in a truck'frame. The sum 1 of departure from standard d1mentionin broken lines of a. standard journal box as indicated at- 38, and it will be ob-' invention lies within. the dimensions of the standard box and departs therefrom-only in unimportant box is formed in accordance with the type of truck in which it is to be used. "In the embodiment illustrated the box is ada ted for passenger car service and is provide 'on. v

the permanently maintained engage-- particulars; The top of the axle but atthe same time to permit a slight rockingmovement in the plane of the axle,

the top with a longitudinal rib 39 between pedestals or truck bolts. Owing to the type of bearing'. employed the horizontal dimension at the centre is greater than-in ordinary practice and it is therefore found necessary to curve the'sides of the box outwardly as at 44. This outward curvature causes the bottoms of the grooves to intercept the inner surface of the side walls, so that openings are provided through the sides of the journal box as shown in Figures 1 and 3. Such openingswould be prohibitive in ordinary boxes but are immaterial in the present invention as the journal box does not form a receptacle for lubricant and is not necessarily closed to exclude grit. The cutting away of the box side walls which form these openings enables the entire space between pedestal or truck bolts to be used for the bearing and thus enables the maximum size of bearing to be employed. Weakening of the box as a result of the openings is of no moment as the strength may be made up by suitable heavy flanges 45 flanking the openings and guide grooves.

At the outer end of the box a wall 46 is provided having a polygonal opening 47 therein for the reception of the polygonal cap portion 33. Preferably the horizontal dimension of this opening is very slightly greater than the horizontal dimension of the part 33, while the'vertical dimension'of the opening is considerably greater both to permit of rocking movement of the bearing in the box and to enable the box to be lifted suificiently to clear the inner end flange 42 from the casing rocker36f0r purposesof removal; The openin 47 is preferably surrounded bya heavy ange 48 which serves both tostrengthen the end wall and to protect' the \part 33' from damage by contact with-any object closeto the track when the bearing is in' 0peration.- An opening 49.

may be provided in the bottom of the box for 'the' escape of foreign matter, particu:

larlywater. j

The bearing is assembled into a truck as followsa-The end collar 16 is removed from the .axle.- The inner spacing ring 21 is insertedin the casing 25 and the bearing proper comprising the inner and outer race rings, rolls and'ca is next inserted 'in the casing. The spacing ring 29, if separate from the thrust washer'30, may also-.be in serted. The casing'with its contents is then slipped over theend of the axle and the outer spacing ring 22 applied, either with the casing and bearing or afterwards. The 7a r.

locking washer 23 is next put in and then T the thrust Washer 30 followed by the journal collar 16 which is screwed sufliciently-tight to hold the bearing rigidly to the axle.

With properly dimensioned parts and proper adjustment the thrust washer 30 will be a nice running fit against the end flange 13 and may be spaced from the washer 23, as ,shown, although the clearance may be onlythat necessary for a running fit. In

the latter case the collar -16 will serve toseat the race ring 18 on the shoulder 28.

The washer 30 may besc rewed into or loose in the casing as desired and if screwed in will clamp the race ring 18 independently of the adjustment of the collar 16. The collar is now locked in any'suitable way against rotation. The end cap 31 carrying the outer thrust washer 32 is now screwed into the casing until the thrust washer touches or nearly touches the journal end and thus determines the end play, if any, of the journal.

If the casing has-been moved to separate the washer 30 and flange '13, the screwing in of the cap 31 will draw the casing out until the Washer and flange re-engage. With proper adjustment the flange 13 should-baa nice running fit between the thrust washers 30 and 32. Ordinarily no'end play is .allowed as it interferes with the operation of and may possibly damage the dust collar 34. The journal box is now slipped over the end of the casing and dropped into position. 'The engagement of the cap projection 33 inthe open outer end of the journal holds the cap against rotation independently of the journal box, and as the casing is 'held against rotation in the journal box'by the flat engaging surfaces it followsthat when the proper adjustments of the bearing have once been made and the bearing assembled.

in a truck it will be impossible to alter these adjustments except by removal \from the' truck.

- The operation of the bearing will be read- 1 ire ily. understood from'the foregoing description. In brief, the inner race turns with the journal andthe outer race remains irrevoluble in the 'casing, so that there isno slipQor wear. End play ofthe journal in the bearing is preferably eliminated to ensure satisfactory operation. of,=-the dust collar. Wear of the thrust rings 30 and 32 may be compensated for by; adjustment of 'thecap 31 to take up the wear until relativeaxial movement of the jou'rnal and. casing bringsthe flanges 24 and 27 into contact when no adjustment is possible and onekor more new thrust rings or liners must be inserted; The bearing is free "to rock in the no. I

4 and ma journal box in the usual manner. The bearmg is, for all intents and purposes, oil-tight be filled with heav oil or grease from w ich grit is effectual y. excluded by the dust collar and'end cap. The problem of lubrication in service is thus largely eliminated and hot boxes due to defective lubrication or entrance of grit become substantially impossible. Owing to the rolling bearing very little lubrication is in any case required and the reduction of friction reduces the, amount. of tractive effort required. The flange 27 of the casing will, through the dust collar, or in the absence of the dust collar, engage the shoulder 12 and the ring 30 will engage the flange 13 and hold the journal and casing against relative movement in the axial"dir.e ction, but preferably the outer end of the flange 13, which for thrust pur oses corresponds .with the shoulder 12, wil rec'elve the thrust and thus relieve the dust collar of pressure.

If tapered rollers are used,such as Timken bearings, any slackness may be taken -race within and 29, and also that in such case the inner.

race g, may extend from the shoulder 12 to the flange 13.

While only one embodiment of the in-' vention has been shown and described, it must be understood that the invention is not thus limited but? contemplates many modifications of detail, such as type of rolling elements, and such as may-'be'necessary to adapt the invention to varying service conditions. I Having thus "described my invention, what-I claim is 1. In an anti-friction bearing, a shouldered casing a rolling bearing, an outer the casin abutti'n at its inner end the casin .shoul er and 0 length only so 51115691111, to orm'- a tread for the rolling bearing, a filler ring at the outer end'of the race rlng projecting radially therebeyond and constituting a bearing retainer, and

I a. I o u I means for securing and rings in the casing including a cap screwedinto'the casingan end thrust means interposed between the cap and the fillenr' 2..An antifrictiori %ear' includin the combination with a shaft; an a rolling r-. ing thereon, of -a washer on' the shaft to retain said bearing, a clamping collar for said washer. adjustabl securedto the shaft, an internally shoul ered casing for the bearing, 'a thrustring in the disposed between the shaft collar-and bear1ng and limiting bearing and casing movement axially of the shaft in one direction, and a second thrust ring adjustably mounted in the casing engaging the opposite side of said firstthrust collar from the first thrust ring and limitin movement of the casing axially of the sha t in a direction opposite to the first.

shaft, of a casing includin means to seat a thrust ring, a thrust ring in the casin engageable with the seating means, a t rust member secured to the end of the shaft outside of and engaging said thrust ring, and a second thrust ring in the casing outside the thrust member and engageable with the opposite side thereof from the first thrust ring,- whereby. said thrust member interdigitates and limits .relative movement of the shaft and casing in the axial direction and an end cap adjustably secured in the casing and carrying said second thrust ring.

3. In a bearing the combination with a railway journal rolling bearing cae pableof application to a ournal without reduction in the diameter of the journal and without increasing the distance between truck columns or pedestals associated with the 'our'nal comprising, ,an antifriction bearingvl'iaving a diameter substantially equal to the distance between the truck columns or pedestals and an enclosin in to be slidably engaged between the truck -co umns or pedestals, said box being of greater width than the distance between the columns or edestals and havin walls thereo apertured between t e bearing and the columns or pedestals topermit entry of the box between the columnsor pedestals columns or pedestals.

5. A; railway journal bearing comprising -a shouldered ax e including a journal porbox for said bearthe side and close approach of the bearing to'the I tion beyond the shoulder and, 'a threaded portion' of lessdiameter than the journal portion extending be ond said journal portion, a collar screwe on the threaded portion of the axle including an inner part of the same diameter as the journal portion of? the axle and a radially outwardly'extending flange atthe outer,. end' "of said collar, the journal rtion-of Ill 114 the axle and the collar constituting a journalof standard dimensions in combination with a rolling bearing encirc the journal portion of the axle and he'l against removal by the flange of the collar. 6. In a railway journal bearing, an axle,

a rolling bearing ing, a journal boxembracing the casing and ha a polygonal opening at the outer end,

-an ad usting means screwed intothe bearing at the outer end and polygonally formed for v o of the box, whereby the adjusting means s locked rotation while asnon-rotative engagement in the thereon including a cas,

sembled in the box and unlocked only upon material relative movement of the box and journal in their axial direction.

7. In a railway journal bearing a journal box, an axle having a thrust flange, a bearing in which the axle turns including an end cap adjustable by revolution, said bearing and cap being independently irrcvolubly related to the journal box, and thrust collars in said bearing disposed on opposite sides of the thrust flange, one of said collars being adjustable by revolution of the end cap whereby the adjustment is normally maintained by engagement of the bearing and cap in the journal box.

8. In combination with a structure according to claim 5, a washer clamped between the inner end of the collar in spaced relation to the collar flange, and a radially inwardly extending flange included in the rolling bearing and engaged between said washer and the collar flange.

9. A structure according to claim 5, in which the rolling bearing includes rolling elements and an inner race ring of the same length as said rolling elements, in combination with a washer clamped between the journal portion of the axle and the collar, and filling rings between the ends of said inner race ring and the axle shoulder and washer.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

KARL F. NYSTROM. 

